The number of students studying criminology at university has significantly increased. Yet, criminology students have been all but ignored in research, despite being key stakeholders and ambassadors in the criminological enterprise. Drawing on the analysis of 12 in-depth interviews, we explore why students are motivated to study criminology and how these motivations are linked to their past experiences and future aspirations. Using a narrative inquiry, three types of stories emerged through our analysis: stories about (1) building on existing interests, (2) understanding the ‘self’, and (3) securing ‘justice’ and ‘helping’ others. The stories students tell about their exposure to ‘crime’ help motivate their decision to study criminology, while their engagement with the discipline, enables them to make sense of these previous experiences and of themselves.

在大学学习犯罪学的学生人数已大大增加。然而，尽管犯罪学专业的学生是犯罪学领域的关键利益相关者和大使，但他们在研究中几乎被忽略了。通过对12次深度访谈的分析，我们探索了为什么学生有动机学习犯罪学，以及这些动机如何与他们过去的经历和未来的愿望联系在一起。通过叙述性探究，通过我们的分析得出了三种类型的故事：关于（1）建立在现有利益之上，（2）了解“自我”以及（3）确保“正义”和“帮助”他人的故事。学生讲述自己遭受“犯罪”的经历的故事有助于激发他们学习犯罪学的决定，同时他们也参与该学科，